'Dinakaran' (Dinesh) is a happy-go-lucky youth who thinks life is all about friends and romantic escapades. He comes across ‘Poornima’ (Swetha) in a bus and falls for her immediately. Never the one to give up, he attempts to woo her till one day she tells him that he is like a ‘brother’ to her.
An undaunted Dinesh continues with his merry ways and tries to hook another girl, albeit unsuccessfully.
The movie is filled with such light moments and the hero continues in this vein till he enrolls in a college where he comes across Poornima again.
They subsequently become good friends but there is a twist when Dinakaran's romantic ideas are rekindled.
Dinesh, Swetha
Directed by:
Ranjith
Cinematographer:
P K Varma
Music:
Santosh Narayanan
The film turns out to be a neat entertainer. It's a light subject revolving around the lives of youngsters in a rural setting, which is apparently close to a city.
There are enough interesting and hilarious moments to keep the audience engaged. The travails of a youth who falls in love with every girl he comes across and getting rejected more often than not, have been brought on screen, in a lighter vein.
Director Ranjith is due for a lot of credit for bravely choosing to dwell on the lives of youths from semi-rural areas and their aspirations, which hitherto hasn't been attempted often.
Debutant Dinesh plays the lead role and appears to fit into the role of a modern day lad, torn between aspirations and reality. He is known as Atta Kaththi among his friends and often lands in tricky and embarrassing situations.
A handful of newcomers chosen by Ranjith have proved their value and they have responded to the director's challenge rather wonderfully. Dinesh is the linchpin in this fun-filled movie and has done a good job. Bubbly Swetha enacts her role with ease.
Cinematographer P K Varma's work is another plus while music by Santosh Narayanan adds tremendous value to Attakathi.
Though the second half doesn't quite stand up to the quality of the first, the movie as a package is what audiences have been yearning for, for a while now.
Watch the film for:
- Realistic portrayal of cultural aspects
- Interesting characters and acting by lead actors
- Background score and a couple of songs
Skip the film for:
- Not-so-good second half
- Lack of strong storyline
- Lack of consistency in the pace
At a time when there is a dearth of watchable movies, Attakathi does come across as a whiff of fresh air.